Dominicana
Author: Angie Cruz
Publisher: Flatiron Books
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Note: Trigger warnings are provided for those who need them at the bottom of this page. If you don’t need them and don’t want to risk spoilers, don’t scroll past the full review.
Cover Description
Fifteen-year-old Ana Cancion never dreamed of moving to America, the way the girls she grew up with in the Dominican countryside did. But when Juan Ruiz proposes and promises to take her to New York City, she has to say yes. It doesn’t matter that he is twice her age, that there is no love between them. Their marriage is an opportunity for her entire close-knit family to eventually immigrate. So on New Year’s Day, 1965, Ana leaves behind everything she knows and becomes Ana Ruiz, a wife confined to a cold six-floor walk-up in Washington Heights. Lonely and miserable, Ana hatches a reckless plan to escape. But at the bus terminal, she is stopped by Cesar, Juan’s free-spirited younger brother, who convinces her to stay.
As the Dominican Republic slides into political turmoil, Juan returns to protect his family’s assets, leaving Cesar to take care of Ana. Suddenly, Ana is free to take English lessons at a local church, lie on the beach at Coney Island, see a movie at Radio City Music Hall, go dancing with Cesar, and imagine the possibility of a different kind of life in America. When Juan returns, Ana must decide once again between her heart and her duty to her family.
In bright, musical prose that reflects the energy of New York City, Angie Cruz's Dominicana is a vital portrait of the immigrant experience and the timeless coming-of-age story of a young woman finding her voice in the world.
TL;DR Review
Dominicana is an emotional, coming-of-age immigration story. I liked it a lot, especially after learning that it was based on the author’s mother’s life.
For you if: You are looking to read more books by Latinx authors and about Latinx experiences (as we all should).
Full Review
“César picks it up and pulls out a chicken by its neck.
Welcome to America, he says.
He hands it to me. I look into its glassed-over eyes. . . . I've held plenty of chickens before, plucked, chopped, and cooked them too. But here, I want to save the chicken from its fate.”
I’ve been meaning to read Dominicana practically since it was published and so well-received, especially by Latinx / Own Voices reviewers. Its place on the 2020 Women’s Prize longlist (and now shortlist, in fact) solidified its place on my TBR.
This is a book that takes place in the 1960s, about a young woman named Ana who grew up in the Dominican Republic. When she was 15, she married a 30-something-year-old man in what was essentially a business agreement (marriage in exchange for land) between his family and hers. She moves with him to New York City, where, as you might expect, life is not nearly as glamorous as people back home believe. Far from it. Hungry for a life worth living and eager to build something for herself, Ana does her best to make the right choices for herself, for her family, and for her future — even though those things may not always be compatible.
I liked this book, although I sort of felt like I was waiting for something the whole time. I think maybe I expected the plot’s shape to be a bit steeper, the ending to be a bit more exciting, or maybe even just declarative. But I still enjoyed reading it and really loved Ana especially. And after reading the acknowledgments and learning that this book was based on the lived experiences of the author’s mother, I appreciate the story and plot much more.
Angie Cruz does a really great job of bringing us into Ana’s heart, and you never stop rooting for her, even when she makes choices that might lead her into trouble later. In fact, you might even root harder for her in those moments. Her growth over the course of the story is tangible and inspiring. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking to read more authentic Latinx stories by Latinx authors.
Trigger Warnings
Marital rape
Domestic abuse
Pregnancy and childbirth
Racism
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